These are very pleasantly unusual times in India, Pakistan relationship. While Pakistan is working on the extension of Most Favoured Nation status to India, New Delhi has now decided to permit FDI from Pakistan. The announcement has come in the backdrop of the two nations opening a trading post on Wagah border. The Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma has termed the decision as a part of the process to deepen the economic engagement. This is a very far reaching move even while there is still a long way to go before the  full potential of the trade is realized. It is the first time that firm steps have been initiated towards a deeper economic cooperation. And for once,  the two countries appear set on rewriting the rules of their relationship. What is significant is the sheer scale of the trading activity that is being envisaged, with the central government’s decision to allow  FDI from Pakistan seeking to make it sustainable in the long-term and thus not subject to the uncertainty of the ties between the two countries. But the question is whether the trade and FDI alone will be sufficient to rid the subcontinent of the demons of history. Will trade and FDI, if it goes ahead as planned, brush under the carpet the issues - or at least reduce their urgency - that have been the traditional sources of their difficult relationship. The answer certainly is no but this is an aspect that the two countries in their recent statements have definitely sought to address. For example, the foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai in an interview to Wall Street Journal said that India was willing to advance its peace talks with Pakistan and discuss the Kashmir issue if  Islamabad's clamped down on militant groups. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signaled his keenness to visit Pakistan at a “mutually-convenient time”  to sign agreements on some  issues that have historically divided the two countries. The best possible course for the two countries to put their demons to rest is to proceed simultaneously on the problems that have historically kept them apart while deepening their economic ties.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST